Whether you’re simply looking to move to a different home, to change your living situation, or simply free up the money tied up in your home, it’s likely that you would prefer a sale that is as quick and seamless as possible. However, in order to do that, you had better make sure that your property is actually ready to sell. A lot of homeowners will put their property up, not knowing that they haven’t done the preparatory steps that ensure it’s good to go. Here are a few of those steps you should be considering.
Start working with an agent
First things first, you should find your listing agent who can help you find the spaces that you should be featuring your home in. There are a lot of agents out there to choose from, and finding the right one for you might not seem immediately easy. The most important thing is that they know the area, and know the specific benefits of that area, and who that area is most likely to appeal to. However, a good listing agent can provide solid advice throughout the entire selling process, making things significantly easier for you and helping you avoid many of the mistakes that might hold another seller back.
Start emotionally divorcing from the home
It might sound like an odd problem, especially if you’re excited to get out and into the next chapter of your life, but you shouldn’t underestimate the emotional connection that you might have developed with your property. Even if you think that you don’t like it a lot, you might find that your subjective attachment to the home, especially how you style and use it, can influence you. First of all, make sure it doesn’t get in the way of a good sales opportunity when it arrives. More importantly, avoid letting your preferences for the home get in the way of what might be, impartially, the best and most widely appealing way to decorate or advertise it. You can have some feelings about saying goodbye to the old place, of course, you can, but don’t let them get in the way of the sale.
Get the price right
In large part, hitting the market right is all about knowing what to price your home at. The best way to start that process is to have your property valued as accurately as possible. Property valuation tends to take into account the various aspects of the home’s physical attributes, including size, rooms, and garden. However, you should also take into account the popularity and value of the area that it’s in, and look at historical home sale data for the area to see where your property would fit into the trends as of late. Of course, if you’re willing to offer at below market value, that can drive quicker sales, but that’s a matter that’s up to you. Just know that having too high a price point is going to scare some potential buyers away.
Don’t leave it cluttered with your things
Even if you’re still living in the home, you might want to start the process of moving all of your own stuff out of it. It’s a common tip from real estate agents, but it’s true that a lot of people don’t like to see too many personal effects when they’re viewing a home. It can make it harder for them to envision what their life there might look like. As such, finding the right storage facilities can make it a lot easier to give your home the clean slate look that it needs. Of course, if you’re living there, you still want to keep the essentials, at the very least.
Consider the right furniture choices
Just because you might want to move your own personal effects out of the home doesn’t mean that you should leave it entirely bare. That can be a little unsettling for people who are viewing it, too. You want to keep some furniture in there to make it look livable. However, if you’re trying to move all of your own stuff out of there and, for instance, into your next home, then you should look at home staging companies. These companies can rent out the furniture that you can use to make the place look more lived in, but with a broadly appealing style that doesn’t seem overly personal.
Ensure a good, deep clean for the home
Of course, if you’re thinking about tidying away the furniture and decor pieces that might muddy the natural appeal of the home, then it’s only natural that you’re likely to think about cleaning the house in general, as well. It’s a good idea to start the process by giving the whole home a good, deep spring clean. You want to make sure that it’s as well-prepared as possible so that it’s much easier to quickly keep up to standard whenever you get news of a viewing happening. You don’t want to miss any of the details: windows, rugs, toilets, sinks, everything should be cleaned to a spotless level as even small hygiene issues can stand out a lot more during a viewing.
Light it up
Few things can be as important for making your home look sale-ready as ensuring that it has plenty of lighting. You can maximize natural lighting by, for instance, removing heavy window treatments such as curtains and swapping them out for blinds that allow a lot more light in. You should also consider checking all light fixtures and switching in new bulbs where you need to. Check your light fixtures routinely as, if there’s a viewing, you’re going to want all of them on, which can also mean that they are more likely to need a replacement bulb more often. Do what you can to let light in the home to let its beauty shine out more easily.
Don’t forget the garden
If your home has an exterior of any size, then you have to make sure that it is just as ready. For most people, this might mean simply taking some time to tidy up the garden, mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges, and so on. But it may also mean painting the fence, refinishing any wooden decking, as well as using a power washer to clean the grime off of any patio or paving stones. Keep an eye on the front of the home just to make sure that there are no glaring issues that could immediately stand out to someone coming for a viewing. First impressions matter a lot, so don’t let your garden ruin yours.
Invest in the curb appeal
Cleaning and maintaining the exterior of the home is a good start, but you might want to consider upgrades specifically for the purpose of enhancing its curb appeal. Even if they don’t add a lot of practical value to the property, taking on projects such as landscaping your garden can add real value to the property. Aside from that, it also makes it a lot more likely to catch the eyes of those passing by, which can draw in more buyers, which could put you in the position of being able to entertain multiple bids at once.
Consider what repairs you might have to make
If you have living in your home for a while, or it has a significant history before you moved in, then it is very likely that there are going to be some repairs that could be made to the old place. How you handle these repairs is up to you. You might want to make sure that any major fixes are done, of course, but when it comes to more minor issues like doors not shutting properly, minor cracks in a wall, or blinds that need replacing, it’s down to your judgment. If you leave them, as is, then any buyers can use them as a point to negotiate the price down, after all.
Make sure that you’re financially ready to get through it
You might think that you wouldn’t need to have too much in the way of available finances to sell a home. After all, you’re going to be making money, and professionals like Harmony Home Buyers Charlotte, your listing agent, are most likely going to take their cut from the sale, not from your pocket. However, there are still likely to be fees and costs when selling a home. This can include hiring the services mentioned above, like a repairman or a staging company, as well as the costs of moving that you’re going to have to consider as well. As such, budget your selling process, and make sure that you have the money to see it through without too much stress.
If you want to make sure that your home is ready to sell as quickly as possible without having to rely on fast-cash sales that offer only a portion of its value, then you had better keep the tips above in mind. Preparation is half the battle, after all.
